Is this "usual"?

[DAP]

Greetings!I was hoping for some feedback/advice on a little problem I am having (Or else I am making mountains out of molehills...).I ordered my first new car in well over 25 years on 31 July, 2006; a 2007 Pontiac Vibe base (Standard, ABS, Side curtain airbags, Premium audio system, a bunch of DIA's for cargo handling).While negotiating the sale, I was told to expect a 4 or 5 week delay for delivery.As soon as I had signed my name and paid my deposit, the delay magically became "up to 8 weeks".And then... Nothing.No updates, no information of any kind.When I finally emailed the Sales Manager, I was told the vehicle was scheduled to be built on 09 October, with a 10 day transportation time to delivery at the dealership.A further query suggested that it went into shipping on 13 October.It is now 31 October, 2006 and I have yet to have Word One about my car.Now what I would like to know is, is this normal for the modern new car buying public, or am I being played here?Thanks for any input you may be able to provide.DAP*** NEWSFLASH*** ***UPDATE*** ***NEWSFLASH***Hello again!Apparently membership at Generation Vibe has its privileges; privileges that may go beyond the normal to the supernatural!At noon of the very day that I posted my very first message at the genvibe.com forum regarding my little problem, the rep from the dealership called to tell me that my new Vibe was in, prepped and ready to go!There had been no indication that it was even in country, let alone in province and on the lot, and here it was, ready to be driven off the lot!I haven't taken delivery yet, but will make the trek to do my inspection today, most probably. I am hoping for the best, but am preparing myself for the worst (I am fearing that half of my DIA's will be back-ordered with a couple of months wait....). Still... It's HERE!Cross your fingers for me, one and all, and many heartfelt thanks for your help and advice.DAP

[joatmon]

I never ordered a car, so I have no idea what is normal, although I sure hope that is abnormal. I know when the vibe first came out, ordered cars took a long time, and longer to Canada, so it might be typical still. My first guess would be the cause is ineptitude on the dealers part, instead of some active scam. I recommend finding out who to call above the dealer level to complain and demand info from, the dealer, if honest, doesn't seem to be able to give you reliable information. When you do get the car, you might consider if you trust the dealer enough to take your car there for service, or if you will want to find a different one in the area. You might even go back in and raise some hell with the dealership publicly in a loud voice to try to get some kind of compensation out of them for the runaround.But it does sound like a nice car, so congratulations in advance, and welcome to genvibe.

[18stars]

I have ordered cars in the past (a long time ago) and went through similiar delays.....with the advent of computer lists and such I think most dealers now usually just locate a vehicle somewhere else for the customer and do a dealer trade.....I don't think you're being played - I think its just the way the system is. I'm sure the waiting is hard but hopefully it'll be worth it.

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

raise a stink and pull the deal if you want to.... but waiting is pretty normal and waiting longer then what the sales guy says is very normal... SALES WILL ALWAYS TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR... even if you REALLY just want to hear the truth.try and scam some free stuff from them for the trouble... free LOF & rotates or free cargo mats and floor mats.We waited more then 3 weeks after the 2nd extended date for our Vibe when new.By the way... Welcome to genvibe

[MMVVibe]

I ordered a similar Vibe, ABS, side curtains, Moon & Tunes, Stabilitrak,leather, auto, monotone, etc. in the first or second week of January '05 and picked it up March 2 '05. So the 6 week promise was business as usual. I would expect a longer time period because you were over the model year changeover period. But not 90 days! I agree with the prior responses that it is time to escalate the issue beyond the dealer and to lobby whoever you can for some remuneration. Mats would be cool, wheels would be cooler.

[michaelgt]

I can not confirm the Order system for Canada. I believe it is the same as US. The dealer will be allocated a specific quantity of cars, and they can place sold orders. For GM plants (NUMMI is JV) the sold orders take precedent the following week from the order. However, I believe that orders to NUMMI are a month out. The dealer should be able to show you on the screen that he placed a sold order, the date it was accepted into the system, build dates, and shipping dates. If he is not willing to show you the information, he probably held your order to off-set his allocated quantity for the following month. GM can deliver vehicles 17 days from order, depending on manufacturing plant and order location. (They have to rely on other companies for rail transportation.)

[slvrvibes]

A friend of mine order her Ford last year and she was told it would take 3 months, ended up taking 4 months. So apparently it is not unusual for it to take longer than they say.

[Mavrik]

I ordered mine in aug of 2003... it arrived dec 2003 on a standard order.

[Ol' Timer]

I too special ordered my car at the end of March. The Dealer was "up front" with me and said it could take up to 8 weeks. It arrived 7 weeks later.It wouldn't hurt you to go to the Dealer and ask him to show you when the order was placed and the build date on his computer. I find it hard to believe that a Pontiac Dealer would want to delay a sale? Hmmm......does he sell Toyota's at his dealership across the street???

[808 Vibes]

I waited 3 months! (but I'm in Hawaii) I heard it all-delays, "the storm system in the Pacific could delay it more", it's sitting in Oakland waiting to be loaded on a train", etc. but I finally got the color I wanted...my Neptune. Welcome and Congrats...You will love your new Vibe! You didn't tell us what color you got, but I guess we'll just pressure you for pics!

[Digger]

I ordered a ford ranger splash a 10 years ?? ago and had a sim. time line.

[high revin]

you can ask for a build code number and follow build as it gets done or if they keep pulling your chain pull order

[djb383]

As purchasing mgr. for a small independent oil company, I ordered 45-50 vehicles each year (pick-ups, sedans, Fords & Chevys) and normal delivery was 3-4 weeks.

[Gim67]

Well!?!?!? How did ti work out?

[mathteacher'04vibe]

I bought a grand am awhile back from a young lady who had ordered a brand new sunfire ('95) in a custom color with a custom interior and a whole host of other doo dads. She was w/o a car for some three months and asked me if she could buy back the g/a she sold me since her ordered car had been sold thrice to other buyers--and she had a deposit on it!The same thing happened to my grandmother at a Ford dealership. This is why I will never buy brand new--and especially will never order a car.